


Name

by CTippy



Series: Falling, Catching [5]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, F/M, small mention of previous pieces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 20:41:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16353944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CTippy/pseuds/CTippy
Summary: The first time she called him Jaime – not ser Jaime, only Jaime – he had been outside at night.





	Name

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so... this is the longest piece I've written since that old Valentine Day's AU fic, and it took me some time to get it right, or at least good enough. I want to thank Aerest with all my heart, my kind and supportive beta and friend who led me on the right path to making the original piece into the one it is now. Thank you very much to all the people who have read all the previous pieces of the series so far and have been patiently waiting for an update. I'm very sorry for the wait, I hope this piece will make up for it. :) 
> 
> P.S.: I have this tendency to listen to songs that remind me of JB while I write about them. I especially have this thing where I listen to the same JB song that gets me in the right mood over and over again until I'm done. So I'll leave you the one I've listened to during most of the making of this piece, so you can do the same while reading it.
> 
> I apologise for any mistakes you might find, English is not my native language.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
The first time she called him Jaime – not ser Jaime, only Jaime – he had been outside at night.  
  
Looking up at the snow that had started to fall he drew in a deep breath, cold air filling his lungs. He was still unused to such weather, and it was only getting harsher the more time passed. A snowflake landed on his open palm, eyes watching as it thawed away. His fingers closed on the wet trace lying in his hand, the landscape quickly turning white. Her skin had looked taut over her collarbone, as pale as the snow falling now before him, but soft to his touch as he worked on her gambeson, and warmer. He wondered if he would ever feel the sun on his skin again.  
  
He had never feared the day he would leave this world, at times he had almost welcomed it. Now he did not. He was prepared to face death, but the thought had become heavy on his chest, tasted bitter in his mouth. Blue eyes flooded his mind, the same colour as the waters he had seen once … Sapphire as the sea surrounding her home. He turned his head, sensing a presence. Her eyes met his as she came to stand beside him.  
  
What was he doing out there in the cold, she had asked. Her figure was hidden in a heavy fur cloak, a strand of hair falling down her forehead. He could ask the same of her, was his reply. She paused, her gaze slowly travelling down to her feet. She had seen him go outside, she admitted. He looked away, the ghost of a smile hovering over his lips.  
  
His eyes flickered to her again. Her plump lips parted, breaths coming out in white warm clouds. Her hands had turned red from the cold, he noticed as she was bringing them to her mouth in an attempt to warm them up. He opened his mouth, words hanging tentatively on his tongue.

He offered his gloves to her. One of them was only on for appearances' sake and the other he was not wearing anyway, he insisted. She refused, saying that her hands were fine and let them slide down her sides. Her stare was fixed on the dimly lit darkness before them.

He reached for her slowly, cautiously, the back of his hand brushing hers. Uncertain fingers touched the calloused skin of hers, keeping them in a delicate hold, waiting. A long moment passed, then her hand slipped into his, fingers wrapping tightly around it.  
  
The briefest of moments and her hand was no longer in his, eyes watching as she turned to leave. His voice was struggling to come out when suddenly she stopped, her head turning towards him, gleaming blue eyes gazing into his.  
  
_Goodnight, Jaime._  
  
His lips parted slightly then closed again quickly. She was gone. His chest heaved sharply as air filled his lungs. He could still feel the warmth of her skin in the palm of his hand.  
  


* * *

  
  
The second time she called him Jaime was on the day she thought she had lost him.  
  
She had found him lying on the white blanket covering the ground, a rotted corpse without half its head and his sword near him. He had been there a while, she noticed with growing apprehension, shivering hands carefully removing a thin layer of snow from his face. Faint breathing tickled her fingers as she did so. He was alive … He was alive. She gently took him in her arms, eyes searching for the wound staining the snow with his blood. His eyes fluttered open then, and she called his name, her voice a trembling whisper. His gaze moved slowly up her face, eyes tired as they met hers. He had not been quick enough, were his last words to her.

She had spent hours beside his unconscious body. He lived, the gods had looked over him. Still, he would not wake up. Tears fell quietly down her cheeks as she held his hand, her heart heavy and her stomach in knots. He would chastise her for wasting time on him given what would soon await them all, she knew. She did not care.

She had forced herself to eat before heading outside, towards the training field. Her body ached as it moved, limbs heavy and slow. She hit the air as hard as she could, howling out sorrow and fear. Her mind was still there beside him.

It was dark outside when she went back to him. The skin of his hand had seemed warmer as she took it into hers.

  
The first thing he remembered after waking up had been blue eyes looking down to him, her voice calling his name … a warm drop of water damping his cheek. She had been the one to find him, to save him. His jaw tightened.

He tried to sit up and his head started spinning, nausea rising in his throat. He breathed deeply, slowly until the dizziness waned. Only then he saw her sitting next to where he lay, big blue eyes brimming with tears. His gaze followed as a wet streak fell down the side of her nose until it stopped on her upper lip, a deep sigh escaping her mouth. He swallowed, eyes blinking rapidly. His lips parted as if to speak, but only a hoarse sound came out. He felt the warmth of her skin on his then, thumb gently stroking the back of his hand as her long fingers closed around his. He squeezed back tightly, yearning to reach, to touch, to feel.  
  


* * *

  
  
The third time she called him Jaime, it was barely a whisper.

Brienne had stepped in the dimly lit room and found him awake. He looked healthier, though far from recovered. Long golden hair fell down his face as he tried to change the dressing on his wound. She moved towards him, the wooden floor creaking under her feet. His head turned in her direction. Her legs faltered, her eyes did not. What she saw in his expression, she could not tell. He walked towards her with uncertain steps, until he finally stood before her.

Jaime could feel her soft and attentive touch as she helped him with the bandage. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand, letting him free to follow her every movement, take in the slightest changes in her broad face, waiting for the moment the blue of her eyes would appear through thick eyelashes and unruly strands of hair. 

He felt her hands finally leaving his wounded side, and her eyes met his as she lifted her head. In the quiet he thought he heard her breath quicken. As his fingers closed around her wrist, he wondered if her chest was aching as much as his.

The green of his eyes burned into hers with desperate desire in the fire-lit darkness, his gaze wandering down her face as he moved closer, mouth opening, eyelids falling shut. Big blue depths watched him in stunned silence and her lips parted as if compelled by his hunger, hesitant and uncertain in her longing. The slightest of brushes and in a moment the ghost of his warmth was all that remained, her mouth tentatively following the receding trail of his untasted lips, foreheads barely touching as his eyes fluttered open.

A trembling sigh escaped his lips. Her eye followed his hand as it gently slid from her wrist to her hand. She slowly freed herself from his hold, gaze still averted from his as her open palm came to rest on his chest. The pulsating of his heart felt clear and strong under her fingers. She breathed out his name, her eyes finally meeting his.

She saw dim yellow light dancing in dark green pools, together with something else. Something delicate yet unwavering, meant only for her to hold. She took in the wrinkles around his eyes, gaze tracing the white in his hair and beard, at last settling on his lips. Her head moved slowly as she closed the distance between them, her mouth softly pressing against his. She closed her eyes and he did the same before kissing her back.

His arm slid around her waist, embracing her, pulling her close. He felt her hand move from his chest, thumb brushing over the skin of his throat before her fingers came to rest on his neck. He captured her lips as they opened slightly against his. A faint, low moan rose from him as their tongues met. Her fingers curled fast around the nape of his neck.

Jaime kept holding her in his arms even after their lips had parted. He would not let go of her, not yet. His side was throbbing, but he refused to acknowledge it.

A bead of sweat glistened as it fell down his temple. He looked pale, even in the faint firelight. Brienne cupped his face with an anxious hand. He reached it with his, holding it for a long moment. His face moved close to hers again, leaving the comfort of her touch. He nuzzled her cheek lightly, tracing her skin down to her neck, until his tired head gently came to rest on her collarbone.

**Author's Note:**

> So, how did you like it? If you have thought there was something familiar at the end of the piece, then you're right because the scene of the almost kiss was already published in my one-sentence/drabbles collection. It was originally meant for this series, but there had been a time when I didn't know if I would keep going long enough to reach that moment, so I added it there. I decided to include it despite it being already out there because I am kind of attached to it and it still worked well with the piece, so here's why you've found it here again.  
> I don't know if this will end up being the last piece of this series. I have it in my plans to make two sort of bonus pieces, probably much shorter than this one, where we get to see them together and happy, but I still haven't started on them and don't know if I'll be able to make a good enough job to publish them. I have all the intentions to keep writing a bit more for this story, so don't consider it finished yet, BUT should I decide later on that this is the last piece of the series, I hope you'll have found it a satisfying ending. :)


End file.
